


For Want of a Clean Staircase

by brokenmimir



Series: Swan Queen Week Winter 2015 [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Swan Queen Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 11:24:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3247859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenmimir/pseuds/brokenmimir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SQWeek2015, Day 4: Canon Divergence<br/>Henry leaving a mess Regina has to clean makes her start baking Emma's poisoned pastry a little late, which means the Savior leaves town without a fight.  But why is Regina's victory so hollow?</p>
            </blockquote>





	For Want of a Clean Staircase

_Six Months Ago_

Regina huffed in frustration. Henry had left his things sitting on the stairs again, and when she’d picked it all up to take it to his room she’d found it to be in a bit of a mess. It had taken her an hour to return it to pristine condition, and by then it was far later than she’d planned to start. Still, she didn’t have a deadline, and so she finally got to work, retrieving flour from the pantry, before going to the refrigerator. She was just pulling out the butter when the doorbell rang.

Regina almost didn’t answer it, but when it rang again she pulled off her apron and stalked towards the door. It seemed like nothing was going to go right that day.

“We need to talk,” Emma Swan said.

“Yes, I imagine we do,” Regina agreed. She had hoped to give her cursed pastry to Emma the next time she saw her, but Henry’s mess meant that it wasn’t even baking yet. She’d just have to give it to the awful woman another time.

 

_Five Months Ago_

If you’d told Regina that she’d miss having Sheriff Swan in her town she would never have believed it. The woman was a menace, always getting in the way of her plans, disrupting the perfect order of Storybrooke. She loathed her with every fiber of her being.

Without Emma Swan, Storybrooke sank back into the perfect order that it had once been. Nothing ever changed. Nothing.

After months of excitement, of someone challenging her, it was almost enough to make Regina scream.

It didn’t help that Henry had taken Emma’s departure so badly. He was crushed, his hopes to break the curse shattering along with his image of his hero. He no longer accused Regina of being the Evil Queen, but he wasn’t any closer. If anything, he had simply withdrawn from everyone, not just her.

Finally, her love for her son overcame her pride. Picking up the phone, she dialed the wretched number.

“Hello?” Emma asked.

“Ms. Swan,” Regina said. “We need to talk about Henry.”  
  
“He’s still there, right?” Emma demanded frantically. “I dropped him off safe and sound.”  
  
“Yes, he’s here,” Regina snapped.

“You aren’t going to keep me from seeing him next weekend, right?” Emma asked. “That was the deal. I could have him every other weekend.”

Regina was silent for a moment. “You can still have him on those weekends. That’s not what this is about.”

“What is it, then?” Emma asked.

Regina sighed. “He’s become even more withdrawn. I- I was hoping seeing you more often might help him.”

There was a long pause. “Wow. You must be really worried about him.”  
  
“Of course I am,” Regina snapped. “I’m his _mother_.”

 

_Four Months Ago_

“I don’t know why I thought this was a good idea,” Regina muttered.

“Because you want Henry to be happy?” Emma suggested suggested with a smug grin.

Regina crossed her arms. “I still don’t see why anyone would think this was a good idea.”  
  
“Look, we’re like two divorced parents,” Emma said. “First we fought over the kid, then we worked out a custody agreement, and now we’re trying to get along for his sake.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “Pretending to get along.”  
  
Emma smirked. “Alright, pretending to get along. The only things we’re missing from a real divorce is I didn’t get half your mansion, and we didn’t get to see each other naked.”

Regina gaped at Emma in shock.

 

_Three Months Ago_

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Emma said, staring fearfully at the large horse.

Regina rolled her eyes. “She’s a very friendly horse.”  
  
“But... its big,” Emma said.

Regina sighed. “Emma... I wouldn’t let Henry anywhere near a horse if it was dangerous. Now, do you want to go riding with us or not?”

Emma watched Regina climb easily into the saddle before staring at her horse again. “You’re not going to throw me off are you?”

“Just get on,” Regina laughed, stopping in surprise as she did. It had been a long time since she’d really laughed.

 

_Two Months Ago_

“Would you like something to drink before you go?” Regina asked.

Emma smirked. “No thanks. I don’t want to wake up in a cell again.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “I have non alcoholic drinks as well. I do have a child in the house... and given your typical diet I would imagine you’re used to eating the same things a ten year old is. Eleven year old.”

Emma smiled. “It was a great birthday party. I’m glad he’s making so many friends.”  
  
Regina’s own heart swelled with happiness. “Yes. Its hard to believe he had no friends six months ago. Just that _book_.”

“He hasn’t mentioned it in a while,” Emma said. “I guess now that he’s not so lonely he doesn’t need to look for fairy tale characters everywhere he goes.”

“I suppose not,” Regina said. “I... thank you. You’ve helped with that.”  
  
Emma waved her off. “Don’t worry about that. I’m just glad he’s okay.”  
  
“No, really,” Regina said. “He’s finally happy again. And having friends is part of that, but... so are you. Thank you.”  
  
Emma blushed, unable to meet Regina’s gaze.

 

_One Month Ago_

Emma grinned, sipping Regina’s cider. “Look, it’s cute.”  
  
“It is not _cute_ ,” Regina snarled, taking another shot of whiskey. Normally Emma was the one who preferred the harder alcohols, but Regina needed it after what had just happened.

“Its normal,” Emma said.

“He’s too young,” Regina said. “He’s only eleven years old.”  
  
“Its not like anything is going to happen,” Emma soothed. “They’re just going to watch some kid’s movie.”

“But for how much longer,” Regina asked. “He’s growing up. Soon he’ll be going on more dates, and graduating, and... and... he won’t need us anymore!”

Emma smiled at the ‘us’. “That’s a long time from now, and even when he gets married and gets a job he’ll still need his mothers.”

“He’s still too young,” Regina pouted.

“Like I said, nothing’s going to happen,” Emma said gently. They sat in silence for a minute, before Emma spoke again. “I’m just shocked how much Grace looked like that Paige girl I met once. They could’ve been sisters.”

Regina took another shot.

 

_Now_

“Emma, I....” Regina began, breathing heavily.

“Regina,” Emma said, smiling. “I know this is crazy. This whole thing is crazy, but... when we stopped trying to destroy each other... hell, even before that. From the minute I realized how much you loved Henry. Even when we were fighting and I was trying to deny it I felt it.”  
  
“Emma,” Regina said, seemingly unable to get anything else out of her mouth.

“I know with our history this seems insane, but it's all I can think about,” Emma said. “Every time I leave I wish I could stay, and not just for the kid. I want to see you, too. I- I love you.”  
  
Regina was speechless. After nearly a minute of silence Emma started to worry, before Regina leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Never in their lives had they felt such a kiss. Warm and soft and all encompassing, they didn’t notice anything except each other.

It might’ve been better if they had. If they’d seen the strange ripple in the air, the golden glow that surrounded them, felt the curse shatter and return everyone’s memories they might’ve been prepared for the mob that showed up minutes later. At the very least, they probably would’ve been a lot less naked.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4 prompt is canon divergence. Have you ever noticed that if Regina really wins, her victories are so hollow?


End file.
